TOURISM: Balkan amateur chess festival, Belogradchik 2011

For your stay in Belogradchik we offer you 4 different excursions:

In Belogradchik you could also:

• rent a bike;
  
• ride buggy near the rocks;
  
• visit the observatory and watch the stars with powerful telescope;
  
• enjoy the spa procedures of the venue hotel

FORTRESS "KALETO" 
Myths, legends, even traces of the antiquity are waiting to be found by the visitors of Belogradchik, a small town located at the foot of the Balkan Range in north-western Bulgaria. The municipality of Belogradchik is located on the lands of the Triballi and their rich history has given origin to many myths and traditions.
“Kaleto” in Belogradchik is one of the best preserved strongholds in Bulgaria. Taking advantage of the natural inaccessibility of the rocks, during the I-III century the Romans used this stronghold for protection of the strategic roads crossing the region.
The Belogradchik Rocks – this rocky fairytale – stretch (from west to east) from Vedernik, around Belogradchik and the village of Borovitsa, to the village of Belotintsi. The region is 30 km long and 3 km wide. Many of the rocks are related to interesting legends.

"MAGURA" CAVE
The Magura Cave is located at the foot of the Rabishka hill about 25 km from Belogradchik. The height of the hill reaches 461 m, and the barely visible entrance of the cave is hidden 80 m below this point. The total length of the cave is about 3000 m, 1400 m of which have been adapted for visitors . The temperature varies between 12.2 – 12.9 о С throughout the whole year . The most valuable heritage left by the former occupants of the Magura Cave are the cave drawings, for which the primitive painters have used manure from bats and red clay. The nearly 700 drawings make the Rabishka cave unique in south-eastern Europe. These are the only preserved works of art from the Bronze Age, and are more than 3000 years old.

ATV walk around the rocks
A one-hour walk with ATV is a great way to have a different look at the rocks dispersed on a territory of about 30square kilometers around Belogradchik. You can ride the machine yourself of have a seat behind the instructor. It's safe and exciting.

"BABA VIDA" FORTRESS IN VIDIN
Baba Vida is the only authentic and fully preserved medieval castle in Bulgaria with a past as both a military fortress and a rulers' residence. The Castle towers in the north-east part of Vidin on the curving bank of the Danube river. This place, dominating the surrounding valleys, encompassed the ancient city's fortification and resisted many an enemy raid. The castle has been reconstructed and extended several times.
Its history dates back as long as 2000 years ago and covers different construction periods: the Ancient period 1 - 4 century AD, the Bulgarian period 10 - 14 century, and the Ottoman period 15 - 19 century. Reconstruction works were done in the 20 century.